While in Honduras last week with a team from Ferguson Church of the Nazarene, the following story occurred and it needs to be shared!

On Tuesday night, one of the team members, Betty, shared a story book presentation with the girls at PTC about the Holy Spirit. Also attending the devotion time was a Honduran doctor who was visiting the ministry and serving the community as well.

Betty shared a very powerful presentation on the Holy Spirit in English. The next night, the doctor, who knows very little English, was in a discussion with two of the men from the team. He was commenting about the presentation, how much it meant to him and how well this older lady with a Scottish accent spoke Spanish. The two men both told the doctor that Betty does not speak Spanish and her presentation was completely in English. The doctor continued to insist that she was speaking in very good Spanish! Finally, they all realized that they had witnessed an Acts 2 type moment.

Never underestimate the power of what you are sharing, because we never know how the Holy Spirit may work and what the listener may actually be hearing! Keep up the good work!

Chris and his wife Vonda have been part of WIM since 1998. They completed language school and moved to Altotonga, Veracruz, Mexico, where they served for nine years evangelizing and discipling youth and young adults. In 2008, they relocated to New Braunfels, Texas, for Chris to serve at WIM headquarters as Director of Operations. He now serves as President of the organization. In this position, he promotes the vision for the organization, networks with churches and like-minded organizations for the purpose of working together, oversees the daily operations of the office, represents the missionaries on the Board of Directors, and travels to visit and encourage missionaries serving around the world. Vonda currently serves in the WIM office as a receptionist, providing assistance to the missionaries and office personnel. The Briles have three wonderful children, a lovely daughter-in-law, and one delightful granddaughter.

Recently at a prayer meeting in Mexico, we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. As the ‘bread’ came around, the person on my left made the comment, “This is the first time I’ve seen tortillas used in place of bread.” This is the story of why we used tortillas.

In November of 2016, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, which means gluten causes a reaction in my intestines. This is an autoimmune disease and my body thinks that the gluten is an invader and my body attacks my intestines. It is painful and the allergic reactions are serious.

This means that even a small piece of bread (like many churches use to celebrate the Lord’s Supper) can cause an allergic reaction that will last at least a week. I hate to be the guy at the restaurant asking questions about the menu and explaining this, but that is me now. It also means that I abstain from taking the Lord’s Supper when there are no other gluten-free options.

Our missions agency, World Indigenous Missions, has values that we abide by. One of those values is “Committed Relationships,” and simply put, we do our best to love one another and to treat one another as family. This is not a fact to memorize with the mind, but it is something that we do our best to live out practically in the details; sometimes the details are small, like a crust of bread. That crust of bread can cause a painful reaction to a person with Celiac, or it can make the Lord’s Supper a time of healing.

1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” At that particular prayer meeting, our president, Chris Briles, joined us, and I mentioned that I would probably abstain from the Lord’s Supper. He told me that he would take care of it. When he came around with the bread, I only saw one basket and I thought that he had forgotten. When Chris came to me, he looked at me and smiled. To my surprise, I looked down and saw pieces of corn tortillas. It was in this context that my friend made the comment about this being the first time that he had seen tortillas used in the Lord’s Supper. I told him, “You don’t know the half of it! Those tortillas are for me!” Instead of suffering and pain, I experienced honor and healing. These are fruits of Committed Relationships. Thank you, Chris, and thank you to everyone in WIM for your godly example.

Hours of teaching by seasoned missionaries, great food, and even a float down the Comal River in New Braunfels, TX, comprised this year’s orientation and training. Many months of preparation and prayer go into this eight-day event each year, and God answered our prayers for harvest workers yet again. Five new missionaries joined WIM and are preparing to begin the next phase of our training program.

The following local businesses, churches and individuals were very gracious to provide meals or donations for orientation. We are very grateful for their support.

Bill Miller Bar-B- Q

HEB

Las Palapas

McBees BBQ

Montana Mike’s

Papa John’s Pizza

Shipley Donuts

Thank you to the following churches and individuals for providing meals or donations:

Christ our King Anglican Church

Creekside Fellowship

Freedom Fellowship – Owens Home Group

First Protestant Church of New Braunfels

River City Vineyard Community Church

Tree of Life Church

Eunice Bez

Dotty Collins’ home group

Win and Caroline Baggett

Fritzie Cox

Brian and Julie Gallichio

Mary Nell Hall

Mike and Paula Molz

Many, many thanks to all the volunteers, speakers and WIM Staff who have dedicated their time, energy and servant hearts.

“What are you doing here?” barked the angry village chief with a machete in his hand.

I was with a group of our mission school students in a small remote village that can only be reached by boat. On the way, we had been regaled with stories of how the locals in this region are prone to take the law into their own hands… and how they don’t take kindly to strangers. We heard stories about machete attacks, individuals being tied up… and how wood was stacked around one woman to set her on fire. Honestly, I had heard similar scary stories before about other villages where I worked with my family. In fact, that was exactly why I brought the students. Because simply memorizing information about how to make peaceful contact in a potentially violent area is not the same as practical “hands on” experience. I did talk about strategies with the students but I am certain what galvanized the lesson in their minds was walking through the process together in the adrenaline of the moment. And it was effective. About 10 minutes after our frightful greeting, the machete wielding chief was sitting with his barren wife and holding her hand as the students and I prayed for God to give them children.

I have been in contact with the chief several times since that visit and we are taking a ministry team to the area next month! Please keep us, the students and the school in your prayers as we push forward, together with your help, to obey the great commission.

In September of 2008, Ron and Ivonne Mouser abandoned all of their earthly possessions that would not fit in a truck and moved to Arriaga Chiapas, Mexico, along with two young sons. In Arriaga, they helped in the administration of an orphanage, shared the pastoral responsibilities of a local church, and built a thriving youth ministry. At the end of 2011, they left Arriaga to pioneer a new work among the marginalized people groups living in the poorest part of Mexico around the city of Comitan de Dominguez, Chiapas. Their current vision is to plant a youth-focused church based on a foundation of small discipleship groups in homes and schools that will serve as an international training ground for cross-cultural missions. They now have four sons.

When writing a newsletter, it is important to clearly communicate your vision and purpose to your reader. Below are some tips that will help you through the process of writing your next newsletter.

1) Know Your Audience

Who is my audience?

It is important when you sit down to begin to write that you consider who will be reading your newsletter. Think about each of your readers on an individual basis and as a whole. What is their age? What is their gender? What do they do for a living? How do they know you? What do they really want to hear from you?

Use these pieces of information to write a clear, more personalized letter for specific groups of people or individuals.

2) Consider Your Platform and Format

Consider how your readers will receive your newsletter

Will you send it in an email, through MailChimp or Campaign Monitor, as a PDF, or will you send it out via “snail” mail?

Emails

Instead of writing one email to your entire list, split your contact list by age, location, gender or other categories.

Create one basic email template and change it according to who will receive it. This will help you create a more personalized email which will make your readers more likely to respond and engage with you.

3) Avoid being generic

Use exciting action verbs that draw your readers in and inspire them to take action.

Clearly spell out what your reader should do.

Make sure that every word you write has a specific purpose, is strong and forceful, and moves the reader into taking action.

4) Edit

Ask yourself: Is this information really necessary?

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!

Go over your letter several times to give yourself a chance to rethink sentences and information you used. Ask a friend or a relative to read it to gain a fresh new perspective. He/she may catch something you missed.

Remember: Consider your audience and what is appropriate for them.

It’s not hard to write effective letters. By following these four tips, you can create more effective and compelling newsletters which will inspire and motivate your readers into action and possibly turn them into supporters.